Census Delay Leaves 12 Crore Indians Without Rations: Jairam Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh, a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, criticizes the 3.5-year delay in conducting the census, resulting in 12 crore Indians losing access to rations. He calls for the inclusion of OBCs in the census questionnaire and underscores the constitutional responsibility of the central government.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress Rajya Sabha MP, criticized the 3.5-year delay in conducting India's census, attributing it to leaving 12 crore Indians without rations under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. The last census was conducted in 2011.

'There has been no official statement yet, only reports in newspapers suggesting the government's intention to conduct a census. However, it was due in 2021 and is now delayed by 3.5 years. Consequently, around 12 crore Indians are no longer receiving rations as per the National Food Security Act, 2013, or the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana,' Ramesh told ANI. He also suggested adding a column for OBCs in the census questionnaire.

'The census collects data on Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), and including Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would be straightforward. Just add a question about OBC categories in the questionnaire. This step would make it a caste census,' he said. Ramesh pointed out that the Union List assigns the central government the duty of conducting the census as per Entry 69 in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

'We demand including a question regarding OBC status in the census. This will essentially transform it into a caste census. The 50 percent reservation limit for SCs, STs, and OBCs set by the Supreme Court isn't in the Constitution. Changing this requires a constitutional amendment,' Ramesh added.

(With inputs from agencies.)